~ Healthy Intentional Living

Chocolate Almond Milk Ice Cream

Minda celebrated her third birthday this past weekend. It sounds so cliche, but I really do not know where the time has gone. It is hard to believe that my sweet and helpless little baby is now a smart and independent little girl. We spent her birthday at Heritage Park, riding the amusement rides over and over again. It is her favorite thing to do lately, and we have been going several times a week just to ride the rides. I suspect in a few years she is going to be a rollercoaster enthusiast.

Another thing that Minda has been really into lately is ice cream, and I have begun to use the sweet treat as an effective bribery tool. I don’t feel too guilty though since I have been making this homemade almond milk version in my stand mixer. It is naturally less fat than regular ice cream, has no added sugar, and vegan too. I do not have an ice cream maker, so the stand mixer works fine. It does not take much effort to make, but it did take some planning since I had to remix the ice cream a few times over a couple of hours to get the right consistency. If you have an ice cream maker, then you could definitely use it instead.

Chocolate Almond Milk Ice Cream

makes 4 servings

1 1/2 cups organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Place the stand mixer bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you plan to make the ice cream. In a small saucepan, heat the almond milk and cocoa powder over medium heat, whisking until combined, about 4 minutes . Remove the bowl from the freezer, add the almond milk cocoa mixture and bananas and whisk on low speed with the metal whisk attachment for 2 minutes. Place the bowl in the freezer. After 45 minutes, remove the bowl from the freezer, scrape any frozen ice cream from the sides, and whisk on medium speed again for 1 minute. Repeat this process two or three more times at 45 minute intervals. When the mixture is thick and creamy the ice cream is ready to serve.